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Garlan Tyrell
Garlan Tyrell is second cousin to the former Lord of Highgarden, Garth Tyrell. Biography Early Life Born in 244 AC to Horas and Denyse Tyrell, Garlan grew up deep in the shadow of the main branch of House Tyrell. His father sent him to squire for the master-at-arms of the time, Ser Arin Caswell, when he was a boy of seven. Though he'd shown little motivation in his earliest years, under Ser Arin's tutelage he learned he was a gifted soldier. By six-and-ten he could fight with most weapons, but he'd grown remarkably skillful with a sword. At the age of twenty-and-one he gained his knighthood from Ser Arin, and entered into the service of his cousin and lord, Mace Tyrell. Durran's Defiance In 270 AC, when he was twenty-and-six, Ser Garlan joined the war in the service of his cousin, Lord Mace. They marched to break Lord Royland Baratheon's siege of King's Landing, shattering the Baratheon host against the walls of the capital. Garlan rode in the vanguard, leading the cavalry against the Baratheons. He managed to maintain the cohesiveness of his unit and lead them against several pockets of stormlander resistance, breaking each. He'd begun to learn tactics, becoming a skilled tactician over time. Lord Mace Tyrell recalled his men, however, giving the stormlanders the opportunity to regroup. He became Hand of the King, a post that caused him to place the reachman host under the control of Lord Caswell. Ser Garlan found himself held in King's Landing, helping his lord where he could. His tenure there would not be long. Word returned of a horrific defeat at Haystack Hall. As the remnants of their host marched north, just behind them came Lord Royland. As the Lannisters began to raid the Reach, those forces departed and the stormlanders settled in to besiege the capital again. From atop the walls, Ser Garlan studied the siege-- there was little else for him to do. Watching as the Baratheons dug their trenches and built their camps proved educational for the young Tyrell. Over the weeks he learned how to effectively beleaguer a castle-bound opponent through careful study of the Baratheon lines and long hours of access to the libraries in the Red Keep. The war ended, however, in the favor of those besieging the capital. Lord Mace had to open the gates, and the Tyrell men marched home to find Highgarden a shambles and the Reach pillaged by House Lannister. Postbellum Years In the following decade, Garlan began to leave Lord Mace's sphere of influence in favor of that of his son, Garth. Lord Mace grew fat and lazy, drinking away his defeat in the Defiance. Although Garlan thought Garth a coward in the immediate aftermath of the war, he came to appreciate him a good deal more as he administered his father's lordship. By the time Lord Mace left for the Wall, Ser Garlan was fully in the camp of his son. For a decade he lived well enough in Highgarden, marrying shortly after the war to a wife who died in childbirth. It depressed him such that he did not remarry, and was under little pressure to do so being so far removed from the line of succession. He did little more than police the Reach at the behest of Lord Garth, riding here and there to settle disputes and the likes. Recent Events In 280 AC, Garlan rode with his lord to King's Landing for King Daemon III Blackfyre's wedding and coronation. He bore witness instead to the beginning of House Tyrell's path to ruin as Garth began to act increasingly unhinged. This culminated in the loss of the title "Warden of the South" to Lord Luthor Tarly, and the Tyrell party's abrupt departure from the capital. Upon return to Highgarden, Ser Garlan had little time to rest before receiving a summons from his second cousin. He was to find his way to Tyrosh and meet with Lord Protector Maekar Targaryen secretly to discuss arranging an alliance between House Tyrell and House Targaryen. He rode to the coast and took ship in King's Landing to go to Tyrosh, arriving shortly thereafter and meeting with Maekar a week or so after that. Their discussions were inconclusive, as Ser Garlan was not a particularly skilled negotiator. Maekar Targaryen received word of an impending dothraki attack in Myr, however, and Ser Garlan sensed an opportunity. While he was not skilled with words, he was competent on the field of battle. Perhaps he could prove his house's worth to the Targaryens there. He sought to follow the Targaryen forces to Myr, and gained that permission. Category:House Tyrell Category:Reachman Category:House Targaryen